Vehicle-scrubbing device

ABSTRACT

A rotary scrubbing brush for cleaning the surface of an automotive vehicle moving relatively to a supporting structure is mounted on that structure through a guidance system, such as an articulated linkage or a guide track, enabling a generally diagonal displacement of the brush from a starting position outwardly or upwardly under the pressure of an oncoming vehicle to sweep and eventually clear the front surface of that vehicle; the guidance system is then swung, through an angle of about 90* or less, into a substantially symmetrical angular position in which a restoring force acting upon the brush holder causes a return sweep along the rear surface of the vehicle.

United States Patent 1151 3,638,265

Fuhring et al, 1 Feb. 1, 1972 [54] VEHICLE-SCRUBBING DEVICE FOREIGNPATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 1 Inventors: Heinrich u g, gs urg; Ri ha d1,523,276 3/1968 France ..l5/DIG. 2

Fleschhut, Goggingen; Hans Wolter, Aug Sburg' of Germany PrimaryExaminer-Edward L. Roberts [73] Assignee: Bowe, Bohler & Weber,Augsburg, Gery ROSS many 22 Filed: Dec. 1, 1969 [57] ABSTRACT [21] APPLNu: 881,155 A rotary scrubbing brush for cleaning the surface of anautomotlve veh1cle movmg relatively to a supportmg structure mounted onthat structure through a guidance system, such as Foregn Apphcat'onPnomy Data an articulated linkage or a guide track, enabling a generallyDec. 3, 1968 Germany ..P 18 12 324.5 diagonal displacement of the brushfrom a Starting Position outwardly or upwardly under the pressure of anoncoming [52] US. Cl ..l5/2l D, l5/DIG. 2, 8605/3/06 vehicle to sweepand eventually clear the front surface of that [58] Field of Searchl5/DIG. 2, 21 D, 21 E, 53, hi l the guidance system is then swung,through an angle 115/97 302 of about or less, into a substantiallysymmetrical angular position in which a restoring force acting upon thebrush [56] References cued holder causes a return sweep along the rearsurface of the UNITED STATES PATENTS vehlcle- 3,471,883 10/1969 Ennis15/21 D 10 Claims, 27 Drawing Figures PATENIEDFEBI m2 3.638.265

SHEEI 1 0F 3 7 Y F" I III INVENTORS.

Heinrich FUhn'ng Richard F/eschhuf Hans Wolfur {Karl g Attorney PATENTEDFm I972 snmaura Hcmnch Fuhnn By Richard Flcschhu Hans Wolfer Rpss .K gAttorney PATENTEDFEBI i878 SHEEI 3 OF 3 Heinrich FUhring Richard Fleschhuf Hans Wolfer IN V EN TORS.

1\ gfpss GU Attorney VEIIiCLE-SCRUBBING DEVICE Our present inventionrelates to a rotary scrubbing brush for cleaning the surface of anautomobile or similar vehicle, as broadly described in commonly ownedU.S. Pat. No. 3,466,688 and application Ser. No. 686,025 (now U.S. Pat.No. 3,484,884, filed by H. Fiihring and R. Fleschhut.

In such an installation a rotary scrubbing brush is vertically suspendedoi horizontally mounted on a fixed or displaceable structure relativelyto which the vehicle moves longitudinally during the scrubbingoperation; this structure may be a shed or a portal frame plantedastride the path along which the vehicle may be towed or moves under itsown power. In the system described and claimed in the aforementionedU.S. Pat. No. 3,466,688, two parallel brushes are mounted on a swingablelinkage for sweeping the front and rear surfaces as well as alongitudinal (top or side) surface of a vehicle moving past; in thesystem of the copending application, a two-arm linkage supporting asingle brush is used for the same purpose. When horizontally positioned,the brush or brushes may scrub the complete front and rear surfaces aswell as the top; in a vertical arrangement the brush or brushes must beduplicated on opposite sides of the vehicular path for scrubbingrespective halves of the end surfaces as well as the correspondinglateral surfaces.

The general object of our present invention is to provide an improvedsystem of this type in which the horizontal or vertical scrubbing brushis guided by simplified means to carry out the desired washing orcleaning operation.

A more particular object is to provide a system of this characteradapted to maintain a substantially constant pressure of the brush uponthe vehicular surface being scrubbed.

It is also an object of our invention to provide an arrangement of thistype wherein the brush, upon completing its sweep of the transverse andlongitudinal surfaces of a vehicle, comes to rest in a position ofalignment with the vehicular path substantially corresponding to itsoriginal starting position so as to be quickly available for thescrubbing of the vehicle next in line.

These objects are realized, pursuant to our present invention, by theprovision of guide means securing a brush holder to its supportingstructure with freedom of substantially linear motion in a diagonaldirection with reference to the vehicular path whereby the brush holderis moved laterally outwardly or upwardly from a starting position to bedisplaced position under the thrust of the front surface of the vehicleagainst its brush. As soon as the brush clears that front surface so asto be in line with an adjoining longitudinal surface, the guide meanscan be swung about a pivotal axis, generally perpendicular to thevehicular path, to sweep that longitudinal surface at a rate greaterthan the relative speed of the vehicle and the supporting structure.This pivotal axis is codirectional with the axis of rotation of thebrush, i.e., is parallel to or in line with the latter axis, so as to beeither vertical or horizontal; the swing of the guide means about thispivotal axis is of such extent that the diagonal direction of movementof the brush holder thereafter occupies an angular positionsubstantially symmetrical to its original position with reference to aplane transverse to the vehicular path so that the brush now, afterclearing the longitudinal surface, sweeps the rear surface of thevehicle while moving from its displaced position to its startingposition in response to a restoring force acting upon its holder.

In an advantageous embodiment, the guide means designed? to linearizethe motion of the brush holder comprises a pair of "carried out by anactuator, such as a fluid-operated jack,

articulated arms having a hinge axis parallel to the aforemen-I trippedby a control switch which responds either directly or through thedisplacement of the brush holder to the relative motion of thesupporting structure and the vehicle.

The above and other features of our invention will be described ingreater detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic front view of part of avehicle-washing station including a scrubbing device embodymg ourinvention;

FIG. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views respectively taken on lines 11-]1 and1lI-IIIofFIG.I;

FIGS. 4-9 are schematic top views of successive positions of the deviceduring the scrubbing of the vehicle;

FIG. 10 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of part of a pneumatic controlsystem for the device of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view similar to part of FIG. 1, illustrating amodification;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are views similar to FIG. 2, illustrating furthermodifications;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 11, showing still anothe variant;

FIG. 15 is another view similar to FIG. 2 but relating to the variant ofFIG. 14;

FIG. 15a is a view similar to FIG. 15 but showing yet anothermodification;

FIG. 16 is a schematic top view illustrating the use of two brushassemblies for scrubbing opposite sides of a vehicle;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view like FIG. 16 but with a modified brushmounting;

FIG. 18 is a front-elevational view of an installation generally similarto that of FIGS. 1-3 but adapted for a horizontal rather than a verticalbrush;

FIG. 19 is a side-elevational view of the system of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 19 but showing the system in alternatepositions; and

FIGS. 21-26 are schematic views similar to FIGS. 4-9 but relating to thesystem of FIGS. 18-20.

The installation shown in FIGS. 1-3 comprises a supporting structureincluding an overhead beam or Iintel 1 resting on lateral piers or jambs17, 18; the floor 11 of the structure forms a path for a vehicle 30 FIGS; 4-8) moving through a washing station of which the structure formspart. Beam 1 is centrally provided with a fixed base 2 in which adepending hub 3 is rotatably mounted; the vertical axis 0, of this hubcoincides with the axis 0 of a cylindrical scrubbing brush 9 in astarting position of that brush illustrated in FIG. I and in full linesin FIG. 2. Brush 9 is suspended on the shaft of an electric motor 10mounted in an annular holder 12 at the free end of a horizontal arm 8which is articulated by a joint 7 to another horizontal arm 5; thelatter has an end 6 pivoted to the hub 3 by a frame 4 for rotation abouta vertical swing axis 0 in the immediate vicinity of pivotal axis 0 Thehinge axis 0 of arms 5, 8 is parallel to but offset from the axes 0,, 0and 0,.

The brush-guiding arms 5, 8 can be jointly swung about axis 0 by anactuator here shown as a pneumatic jack 13 which is pivoted to the beam1 at 14 and whose piston rod 13 is connected with a lug 31 projectingradially from hub 3. Another pneumatic jack 28 (illustrated only in FIG.2) is pivotally mounted on a bracket rigid with frame 4 and has itspiston rod 28 secured to arm 5, this jack being continuously loaded witha substantially constant fluid pressure to urge the arm 5 to swingcounterclockwise about axis 0 Arms 5 and 8 are synchronized forcounterrota tion about their common hinge axis 0 by a linkage comprisinga pair of grooved wheels or V-pulleys 20, 22 which are peripherallyinterconnected by a flexible band 21 in the form of a wire or cable. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, band 21 has one end fixedly anchored at 23 andanother end connected through a contractile spring 24 with another fixedpoint 25, spring 24 exerting sufficient tension upon the band to preventany substantial slippage between it and the wheels 20, 22. With wheel 22immobilized on frame 4 and wheel 20 rigid with arm 8, any thrust exertedby' an oncoming vehicle upon the brush 9 in the direction 16 (FIG. 2)disaligns the two originally aligned arms and 8 and causes a swing ofarm 5 about axis 0., through an angle equal to substantially half theangle of divergence of the two arms. In the displaced position 5, 8', 9of the arms and the brush illustrated by phantom lines in FIG. 2, forexample, the arms have swung 90 apart while arm 5 has rotated through 45from its starting position. The brush is thereby guided substantiallylinearly in a diagonal direction represented by an arrow 19 in FIG. 2.

With the brush thus moved out to the left-hand side of the supportingstructure, jack 13 may be operated to rotate the hub 3 into itsalternate angular position in which the lug 31 lies on the radial line32 shown in FIG. 2; the extent of the swing of the hub is here shown tobe an arc of almost 90, with the arms 5 and 8 swinging through somewhatlesser arcs as will be apparent from FIG. 6 discussed hereinafter. Therotation of the hub 3 may be controlled by a pair of switches 39 and 43,with switch 43 responding to an approaching vehicle for extending thejack 13 to restore the original starting position whereas switch 39 istriggered by the arm 5 in its displaced position 5' to contract thejack. Alternatively, a switch 390 operable directly by the vehicle 30(FIG. 6) may be provided for the latter purpose. This mode of actuationofjack 13 has been illustrated in FIG. which shows a line 34 carrying apneumatic fluid (e.g., air) under high pressure, supply line 34 beingconnected to a four-way valve 37 from which two conduits 38, 40 extendto opposite ends of the pneumatic cylinder while an outlet 42 is open tothe atmosphere. The tripping of switch 43 places the valve 37 in itsillustrated position in which the highpressure fluid enters the cylinder13 behind its piston to extend the rod 13', the front end of thecylinder being then vented via conduits 40 and 42; upon the subsequentoperation of switch 39 or (39a), the fluid flow is reversed so thatpiston rod 13' is retracted. Advantageously, the latter motion isretarded by a throttle 41 in conduit 40, this throttle being bypassed bya check valve 41 to permit a rapid return swing upon the approach of thenext vehicle.

FIG. 10 also shows the continuous pressurization of restoringjack 28 byfluid from line 34 passing through a pressure-relief valve 35 with anoutlet 36. Thus, the gas entering the cylinder of jack 28 (in adirection tending to retract the rod 28) is under substantially constantpressure.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 4-9 for a description of a completescrubbing cycle performed with the system of FIGS. 1-3 and 10. FIG. 4shows the vehicle 30 approaching the brush 9 in the direction of travel16, the brush and its arms 5, 8 being then in their starting position.FIG. 5 shows the brush 9 partly displaced in the diagonal direction 19under the thrust ofthe vehicle, this displacement resulting in ascrubbing ofthe left-hand half of the vehicular front surface. FIG. 6gives the position in which the brush 9 has just cleared the left frontcorner of the vehicle, followed by a swing of bracket 4 through nearly90 with displacement of the brush from position 9 to its alternateposition 9"; these two positions are generally symmetrical withreference to a transverse plan P which includes the pivotal axis 0,. Therate of displacement from position 9 to position 9", controlled by thethrottle 41 of FIG. 10, is added to the relative velocity of the vehicle30 and the brush-supporting structure to establish a desired scrubbingspeed for the left-hand side of the vehicle. In the position of FIG. 7,the brush 9 has started on its return motion along the line 19 which issubstantially symmetrical to line 19 with reference to the plane P ofFIG. 6. In FIG. 8 the brush has completed its sweep of the left-handhalf of the rear surface of the vehicle preparatorily to a return swingof its supporting arms to the original position (arrow 33) when theswitch 43 is tripped by the next vehicle 30 as shown in FIG. 9.

The switch 39 could also be positioned to respond to a predeterminedswing of arm 8 relative to arm 5 for contracting the jack l3. Naturally,this operation can in any case take place-only after the brush 9 hasfully swept its half of the vehicular front surface.

FIG. 11 shows a modification of the means interconnecting the arms 5 and8 for mutually opposite rotation. The wheels rigid with arm 8 and hub 3are here shown as a pair of sprockets 20', 22 engaged by a chain 21',the operation of this linkage being the same as in the system of FIGS.1-3. Also, the pivoted extremity 6 of arm 5 has been mounted coaxiallywith hub 3, sprocket wheel 22 being centered on the same 3X15.

FIG. 12 shows a simplified brush-guiding system wherein the arms 5 and 8are interconnected by a contractile spring 47, another such spring 46linking the arm 5 with a lug 45 on hub 3. With suitable dimensioning andpositioning of springs 46 and 47, as by making the latter twice as stiffas the former, the aforedescribed angular relationship between the twoarms and the hub 3 can be maintained so that a thrust upon the brush 9by a vehicle traveling in the direction of arrow 16 causes asubstantially linear brush displacement in the direction of the diagonalarrow 19.

The modification shown in FIG. 13 comprises a pair of articulatedmembers 5", 8", similar to arms 5 and 8, which complement these arms toa generally parallelogrammatic linkage. Adjoining ends of arms 5 and 5"are pivotable about respective axes 52, 51 and are provided with meshinggears or gear sectors 53, 54 centered on these axes so as to rotate inmutually opposite directions in response to a vehicular thrust (arrow16) or to the restoring force ofjack 28. Again, therefore, the brush 9is constrained to move diagonally along line 19.

In FIGS. 14 and 15 the guidance system of the preceding embodiments hasbeen replaced by a track 55 of inverted-L shape receiving the top of theshaft 56 of brush motor 12. At 5 and 8' we have shown in FIG. 15 adisplaced position in which the arm 8 is swung past its position ofalignment with arm 5.

In FIG. 15a the same track 55 is used but the jack 28 has been replacedby a cable 21a which can be wound on a capstan 128b driven by a motor128a to recall the brush 9 after it has been displaced from its normalposition by the thrust of vehicle 30. Motor 128a, coupled with capstan128b through a slipping clutch not shown, again exerts a constantbiasing force upon the brush 9, tending to restore it to its startingposition.

If the arm 8 is free'to swing past its position of alignment with arm 5,the operation of the system described with reference to FIGS. 4-9 may bemodified by allowing the assembly to remain in the position of FIG. 8until the arrival of the next vehicle 30 (FIG. 9), instead of restoringit to its starting position as indicated by arrow 33, whereby the thrustof vehicle 30 displaces the brush forwardly and to the right, ratherthan to the left as indicated by arrow 19. When the brush reaches theright-hand side of vehicle 30 the actuator 13 is tripped to rotate theassembly in the reverse sense (i.e., clockwise) whereby the brush sweepsthe right side of the vehicle in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6 forthe left side. After the vehicle 30 has passed, the next vehicle-againfinds the brush mounting in the position of FIG. 4 so as to be scrubbedon the left, and so forth.

Thus, a combination of two longitudinally ofiset brush carries 4a, 4bmay be operated in staggered relationship, as illus trated in FIG. 16,to let their brushes 9a, 9b sweep respective halves ofa vehicle 30traveling in the direction 16. Depending on the mode of operation, thetwo brushes either stay on opposite sides of the vehicular path or workalternately to the right and to the left of that path as describedabove.

FIG. 16 also shows the alternate positions 4a, 4b of the supportingframes 4a and 4b. The are of swing of these frames and of the associatedhubs is here somewhat less than in FIGS. 4-9, with a correspondingincrease in the angle included between the diagonal directions 19a, 19b(as well as their mirror images indicated at 19a for brush 9a) and thelongitudinal direction 16. Because of this steeper angle, the brushesmove more rapidly across the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle;also, the length of the arms may be reduced as this angle increases. Therate of swing of the hub, on the other hand, ought to be reduced (or therelative motion between the vehicle and the brush supportcorrespondingly increased) in order to provide a substantially uniformrate of displacement of the brush from the front to the rear of thecorresponding lateral vehicle surface. FIG. 16 further shows the two hubaxes laterally offset from the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle sothat each brush sweeps slightly more than half of the front and rearsurfaces.

FIG. 17 illustrates the possibility that the base 2 and the hub 3 of thebrush mount may be offset from the centerline toward the side to bescrubbed, provided the arms 5, 8 are swingable past their position ofalignment as described above. In this case, the starting position of thelinkage is the one shown at 5 8 (compare also FIG. with the brush 9moving laterally outwardly past the coincidence position of the armsinto the extreme position in which the brush rests against the lateralsurface of the vehicle 30. This arrangement, which can be realized withany of the aforedescribed constructions except that of FIG. 12, permitsa still further reduction in the length of the arms.

FIGS. l8-26 illustrate how the system described above, and particularlythe embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, can be converted for use with a horizontalrather than a vertical brush 9. Although FIG. 18 shows only one pair ofarms 5, 8 with the brush 9 cantilevered thereto, these arms and theirmount 2a rising from floor 11 may be duplicated on the opposite side ofthe brush shaft (i.e., at the left in FIG. 18) to support the brush atboth ends. In this instance the jack 28 of the preceding Figures may beomitted, the restoring force being here furnished by gravity with theaid of a counterweight 5a on an extension of arm 5 which in the normalor starting position (full lines, FIG. 19) comes to rest against anabutment 28a on a frame 3' rigid with hub 3. The diagonal displacementof the brush 9 into an off-normal position 9, in the direction 19, hasbeen illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. 19. FIG. 20 shows thealternate hub position, established here by the extension of jack 13,with the arms 5 and 8 in their coincidence position (full lines) and intheir diverging position 5', 8' (phantom lines); the arrow 19 indicatesagain the diagonal displacement of the brush from its off-normal, i.e.,raised, position 9 FIGS. 21-26 illustrate the successive stages of thebrush movement in sweeping the front, top and rear surfaces of a vehicle30. In FIG. 2 the line 32' denotes the position of the aligned arms upontheir return swing in the direction of arrow 33, e.g., in response tothe tripping of switch 43 by the nextfollowing vehicle.

We claim:

1. A scrubbing device for a vehicle moving along a predetermined pathrelatively to a supporting Structure, comprising:

a brush holder forming a rotatable mounting;

a rotary brush journaled in said mounting with an axis of rotationgenerally perpendicular to said path;

a rotatable hub on said structure centered on a pivotal axiscodirectional with said axis of rotation;

guide means on said hub supporting said brush holder for substantiallylinear displacement thereof in a first diagonal direction from thecenterline of said path outwardly under the thrust of the front surfaceof an advancing vehicle against said brush, said guide means beingswingable with said hub about said pivotal axis into an alternateposition to enable displacement of said brush holder in a seconddiagonal direction generally symmetrical to said first diagonaldirection relative to a plane transverse to said path;

actuating means for so swinging said guide means upon alignment of saidbrush with a longitudinal surface of said vehicle;

and restoring means coupled with said brush holder for returning same tosaid centerline in said second diagonal direction along the rear surfaceof the advancing vehicle.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises apair of articulated arms with a hinge axis parallel to said pivotal axisand said axis of rotation, one of said arms having an end remote fromsaid hinge axis pivoted to said hub for turning about a swing axisparallel to and in the vicinity of said pivotal axis, the other of saidanns having a free end remote from said hinge axis carrying said brushholder.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said guide means furthercomprises a linkage positively interconnecting said arms for relativecounterrotation about said hinge axis.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said linkage comprises a wheelcentered on said swing axis and rigid with said hub, a wheel rigid withsaid other of said arms centered on said hinge axis, and a flexible bandperipherally interconnecting said wheels.

5. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said linkage comprises a pairof articulated members complementing said arms to a generallyparallelogrammatic framework.

6. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said linkage further comprisesfirst spring means linking said one of said arms with said hub andsecond spring means interlinking said arms.

7. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said restoring means comprisesa source of gas pressure acting upon said one of said arms.

8. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises alinear track member engaged by said brush holder.

9. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprisesa fluid-operated jack connected between said structure and said hub.

10. A device as defined in claim I, further comprising switch meansresponsive to relative motion of said structure and said vehicle fortripping said actuating means.

1. A scrubbing device for a vehicle moving along a predetermined pathrelatively to a supporting Structure, comprising: a brush holder forminga rotatable mounting; a rotary brush journaled in said mounting with anaxis of rotation generally perpendicular to said path; a rotatable hubon said structure centered on a pivotal axis codirectional with saidaxis of rotation; guide means on said hub supporting said brush holderfor substantially linear displacement thereof in a first diagonaldirection from the centerline of said path outwardly under the thrust ofthe front surface of an advancing vehicle against said brush, said guidemeans being swingable with said hub about said pivotal axis into analternate position to enable displacement of said brush holder in asecond diagonal direction generally symmetrical to said first diagonaldirection relative to a plane transverse to said path; actuating meansfor so swinging said guide means upon alignment of said brush with alongitudinal surface of said vehicle; and restoring means coupled withsaid brush holder for returning same to said centerline in said seconddiagonal direction along the rear surface of the advancing vehicle.
 2. Adevice as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a pairof articulated arms with a hinge axis parallel to said pivotal axis andsaid axis of rotation, one of said arms having an end remote from saidhinge axis pivoted to said hub for turning about a swing axis parallelto and in the vicinity of said pivotal axis, the other of said armshaving a free end remote from said hinge axis carrying said brushholder.
 3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said guide meansfurther comprises a linkage positively interconnecting said arms forrelative counterrotation about said hinge axis.
 4. A device as definedin claim 3 wherein said linkage comprises a wheel centered on said swingaxis and rigid with said hub, a wheel rigid with said other of said armscentered on said hinge axis, and a flexible band peripherallyinterconnecting said wheels.
 5. A device as defined in claim 3 whereinsaid linkage comprises a pair of articulated members complementing saidarms to a generally parallelogrammatic framework.
 6. A device as definedin claim 3 wherein said linkage further comprises first spring meanslinking said one of said arms with said hub and second spring meansinterlinking said arms.
 7. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein saidrestoring means comprises a source of gas pressure acting upoN said oneof said arms.
 8. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide meanscomprises a linear track member engaged by said brush holder.
 9. Adevice as defined in claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprises afluid-operated jack connected between said structure and said hub.
 10. Adevice as defined in claim 1, further comprising switch means responsiveto relative motion of said structure and said vehicle for tripping saidactuating means.